How Chopped Fans Really Feel About Alton's Maniacal Baskets

"Chopped" never ceases to surprise viewers with the unexpected mystery basket items that the talented chefs on the show whip up into amazing dishes. However, when "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets," a special version of the cooking competition, premiered in June 2021, the entire show reached an entirely new level of bizarre.

The basket items were selected by fans of Alton Brown, and they showed no mercy. Even Brown himself said, "when the Chopped producers said they wanted to ask my fans for basket suggestions, I knew we were in for a wild ride. But I wasn't prepared for this. [No one] is prepared for this. Honestly, in this case 'maniacal' is a soft, fuzzy puppy compared to this stuff. It's just... wrong." Given their participation in the show, it's no wonder Brown's fans had thoughts about the new show after watching the episodes unfold. That's why they took to Reddit to express exactly what they thought.

There were definitely some mixed reactions to "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets." The early responses on Reddit were fairly positive. One person wrote, "I was into it. Frankly, it was one of the few finales (of this tournament type competition) that I wanted every contestant to win." Someone else commented, "I liked the Alton episodes more than the Martha episodes. I liked that it was workable baskets." Another fan wrote, "I quite enjoyed it overall." Other Redditors liked the interesting ingredients that stumped contestants, like cardoons and a whole lamb head. One couple really liked learning about black limes when they were in the basket, though they did injure two competitors.

Others were less enthused. One frequent complaint was that the judges were too serious, though fans agreed this is an ongoing issue for the show, not just "Alton's Maniacal Baskets." However, one fan felt particularly passionate, writing, "these shows were terrible. I didn't enjoy his act or influence on the other judge's performances or the contestants having to film those 'Ermergerd he's soooooo diabolical' asides." Someone else agreed that there was too much overacting in the show.

One thing is clear: "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets" is definitely a show fans will have to watch for themselves to decide how they feel about it.